Outfoxing Fear: Folktales from Around the World (Aesop Prize (Awards))

A multicultural collection of hopeful, utopian folktales for all ages that tackle our most elemental human scourge: fear.

Humans of all eras and cultures have lived with fear: of becoming jaguar prey, of being besieged by Vikings, or of nuclear holocaust. For millennia, huddled around campfires and in cottages, we have created folktales to help us transform this fear into action, into solutions, into hope. Inspired by the residual fear and need for stories of resilience following September 11th, Kathleen Ragan, editor of the anthology Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters, has scoured the globe and collected these 64 tales that respond to fear in its wide variety of incarnations. From the old Japanese woman who tricks the tengu monster to the bluebird that uses the Chinook wind to teach her mother compassion, Outfoxing Fear is a collection of positive, even utopian, folktales arranged thematically around topics such as the nature of fear and courage, the importance of laughter, and the need for hope. 16 illustrations, map.